“Widening its Research & Development (R&D) horizon, this facility, spread across a sprawling area of 27 acres will cater to ANS (Air Navigation Services) and airport or engineering research,” AAI said in a statement.

NEW DELHI: State-run Airports Authority of India (AAI) will set up a state-of-the-art Civil Aviation Research Organization (CARO) at Hyderabad’s Begumpet Airport to find “indigenous solutions to meet the challenges posed by the growing air traffic and for enhancing safety, capacity and efficiency of aircraft operations in the country.” AAI has earmarked Rs 1,200 crore for this project that will be spent ver 12 years for research and development. CARO is expected to be built in three years.

Union aviation minister Suresh Prabhu on Thursday laid the foundation stone for CARO which will be spread over 27 acres and cater to air navigation services and airport/engineering research. It will houses latest infrastructure and be equipped with simulators.

Prabhu on Thursday stressed on research to enhance safety, convenience of passengers and capacity handle growing traffic through resource optimization particularly in view of the infrastructural constraints. He said passenger trips in India are expected to increase from 200 million to a billion in the foreseeable future.

Aviation secretary R N Choubey said upon CARO will take up research work on four priority areas: